PRINCE FREDERICK — Only impaired driving produces more criminal cases in Calvert County than domestic violence, the county’s top prosecutor told commissioners this week.
State’s Attorney Robert Harvey said his office has handled about 179 domestic violence cases so far this year, including five felony prosecutions in Circuit Court. He spoke Oct. 20 as the Calvert County Board of County Commissioners proclaimed October Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a proclamation brought by Commissioner Catherine M. Grasso.
“It remains the second most prevalent type of crime that we have in the county, behind impaired driving,” Harvey said, adding that victims need to know support is available if they come forward.
One quarter at the shelter
The clearest local picture came from Calvert Safe Housing Network, which Community Resources Director Jennifer Moreland described as the county’s new shelter provider. Karina Myers, the group’s deputy director for assistance and impact, gave its first-quarter numbers:
- 77 people served in Calvert County: 51 adults and 26 children
- 115 hotline calls
- 1,038 bed nights of shelter
Myers said the group’s work runs from a voice on the hotline at 2 a.m. to a bed the same night to longer-term case management, housing help and safety planning. Nicole Hamilton, Calvert Safe’s deputy director for programs and services, told commissioners she has lived experience with domestic violence and said the need for services in the county is tremendous.
The statewide numbers
Katherine Marsh, a member of the Calvert County Commission for Women, a Calvert Safe board member and a former assistant state’s attorney, gave the broader context. She said law enforcement in Maryland tracked more than 34,000 domestic violence-related crimes last year and that service providers statewide handle 1,229 victim calls a day.
Marsh also cited national research showing that a survivor leaves an abusive relationship an average of seven times before leaving for good, that a gun in the home raises the risk of a fatality by 500%, and that a victim who survives one non-fatal strangulation faces a sharply higher risk of later being killed. Harvey credited Marsh as a pioneer of domestic violence awareness in the county; Moreland noted she was instrumental in opening Calvert’s Child Advocacy Center when it first opened.
The meeting began with a ribbon cutting for the county’s Child Advocacy Center, and Sheriff Ricky Cox tied the two together, saying much of the abuse happens at home where law enforcement does not see it and thanking the advocates who help survivors come forward. A lieutenant from the Maryland State Police Prince Frederick Barrack also spoke in support, as did members of the Commission for Women and Calvert Safe staff.
Getting help
Advocates asked residents to turn porch lights purple for the county’s Purple Light Night on Oct. 20 and pointed to supply drives for survivors through the rest of October. Marsh read from a letter by a Calvert survivor who said the purple lights are a visible sign of hope and support.
Calvert Safe Housing Network can be reached at 443-432-5732, according to the county’s domestic violence resource list, which also lists the Safe Harbor Domestic Violence Shelter at 410-535-2212. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is available 24 hours a day at 800-799-7233. Anyone in immediate danger should call 911.
